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Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Hello, everyone. I've been thinking awhile about blogging and creating more content, and lately my personal life and schedule have become so busy that I really feel like I haven't had enough time to put into my blogging. In doing so, I haven't loved what I've been posting, and that's really disappointing to me because sharing my love for books is the reason that I blog, and lately I feel like I've just been falling into a routine without actively loving creating new posts and coming up with ideas for the blog.

Basically, I'm taking a short, planned hiatus in order to take some time to balance everything, take a break and recharge. This time will be important for me to be able to take some time to think up new ideas for blogging without constantly feeling like I'm putting myself under pressure for creating new posts that I want to share weekly with you all.

As now is the beginning of July, this hiatus will only last a few months, and I will be back in September. I'm sure I'm going to miss blogging a lot- I already do, to be honest- but I need some time to not only focus on my other interests, but to have some time to allow my creativity to return more and be excited about the new ideas and posts I'm sharing.

If you've ever felt this way about blogging and you'd like to leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments, feel free to do so, or send me an email. I'll see you all in September, and I will be back with more content and posts at that time.

Friday, June 26, 2015

Today's installment of The First Half of 2015 is a little bit different in that it's going to be my top 5 picks for the category, similar to how I made the posts last year. Today, I'm sharing my top 5 favorites thus far in 2015. I've read some great novels so far in 2015, and I'm so excited to see what books are to come! In the mean time, I hope you've enjoyed following along with these posts, and without further ado here are my top 5 favorite reads of 2015 so far!

I hope you've all enjoyed this series- I was really excited to bring this mini series back and take a look at how the first half of the year was in terms of reading for me. I hope you all enjoyed, if you'd like to let me know what books you've read and enjoyed so far in the year feel free to comment with your thoughts.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Today is Day 4 of The First Half of 2015. I can't believe the mini series is almost over for the year! I always enjoy sharing my thoughts on books I've read so far. This year, I'm sharing my top pick for each category, along with a few honorable mentions. Today we're talking about standalones. 2015 seems to be the year of standalones for me- I've read quite a few this year, some contemporary, some historical fiction, retelling, fantasy, etc. If you have any standalone novel recommendations you'd like to share in the comments, let me know! Here are my picks:

Tomorrow is the last day of this mini series! I hope you all have enjoyed the posts so far, and if you'd like to let me know what standalone novels you've read and enjoyed this year, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! I'll be back tomorrow for the finale of The First Half of 2015!

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Welcome to Paper Worlds and Swirls of Ink! Around the end of June of last year, The First Half of 2014 was a way for me to look back at the books I'd read and share my thoughts on them. I've always loved end of the year posts and looking back at favorite reads, so I thought it would be fun to share my thoughts now as well. This year, I've decided to categorize the books in ways such as debut, sequel, etc. and share my top pick for the category along with a few honorable mentions.

Today we're talking about series I've started this year. Some of these are series that just came out in 2015, some are new to me by authors I've never read, and some are new series by authors I've read before. I ended up starting quite a few new series this year, and so I looked through and decided on my favorite (and a few extras of course!) to share with you all.

I hope you all enjoyed the third day of The First Half of 2015! If you'd like to share what series you've started reading and enjoying this year, feel free to let me know in the comments! I'll be back tomorrow for day 4 of The First Half of 2015.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Today is the second day of The First Half of 2015 mini series. This is just a way to reflect on books that I've read thus far into the year, and share my favorites. Last year, I broke up the days by genre and shared my top 5 picks for each. However, as I haven't been reading as much this year, I decided to share my top pick for today's category, which is talking about sequels to series I've read so far this year.

Here's my pick, along with a few honorable mentions, for today's theme for The First Half of 2015. If you'd like, let me know what sequels you've read and enjoyed this year, and any series you'd recommend! I'll be back tomorrow for Day 3 of The First Half of 2015!

Monday, June 22, 2015

Welcome to Paper Worlds and Swirls of Ink! I'm so excited to be back with another installment of The First Half of the Year mini series! I did this last year with The First Half of 2014, and for the mini series last year I divided up the books I read by genre. This year, I hadn't had as much time to read sadly, but I've decided to rework the posts a little for this year. Instead of going by genre, we'll be talking about different types of books, such as debut novels, sequels, etc.

Since it's the first day of the mini series, I want to share my favorite debut that I've read so far this year.

Day 1- Introduction, Sharing my favorite debut of the year that I've read

This novel was absolutely fantastic. I can't wait to write a review on it for you all, as not only is it my favorite debut of the year and my favorite read of the year, this novel is one of my all time favorite books.

If you'd like to share, I would love to know what 2015 debuts you all have read and your thoughts on them! I'll be back tomorrow with another post for The First Half of 2015.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

So, you might have seen a discussion post about long books before. However, today I wanted to share my take on reading longer books. For me, this is typically when reading an adult fantasy novel. I've read some pretty long books over the years (I looked back on my Goodreads and one of my longest novels read that I'd recorded on there was 725 pages and that was City of Heavenly Fire), but lately when I picked up novels like A Game of Thrones of Outlander, I've noticed a trend.

After about 400 or 500 pages in, I'll put the book down and pick up another. It's not like I do this on purpose, it's just after that time I end up picking up another book, start reading them both at the same time, and then eventually continue on with the other book. Then I try to go back and read on with the longer book. I'm not saying I'm a fan of reading this way- honestly I want to read these series with longer books. For some reason, I just end up reading bigger books as several installments of 400 or 500 pages each.

How do you all read longer books? Do you read them at once, while reading several books, or like I do?

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a really fun feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where every week, there's a new theme to pick your ten picks for! The seasonal TBR posts are always some of my favorite, since I don't do TBR posts that often it gives me a chance to share some books I'm looking forward to reading sometime soon. Without further ado, here are my picks!

Friday, June 12, 2015

Welcome to Paper Worlds and Swirls of Ink! I've been talking lately about "Behind the Scenes" and how I write certain posts and series here on the blog. I started this back in May with a post on How I Write Discussion Posts, in which I shared how my discussion post writing tends to be quite random. My "A Series in Summation" posts, on the other hand, are a completely different type of blogging entirely for me so I thought it would be interesting to feature that as my next post.

A Series in Summation are posts where I review the entire series of books all in one quick post. I share a briefer review on each novel, comparing the overall series while still talking about each individual book. I really enjoy writing these, because I don't tend to read every book in a series back to back, but writing these posts gives me a chance to look over the entire series.

Now, there are a few different ways I'll write these posts. The first is when I have a series I haven't read some of the books in for awhile, such as my recent one on The Princesses of Westfalin trilogy. But what I've started to do lately is a little different.

If the entire series has been published and I know that I'll probably end up picking up the other novels soon, and also I have some thoughts on the first novel but want to write A Series in Summation post, I'll write a mini review for the first novel, save it as A Series in Summation, and then add to it as I read the other novels. This system will allow me to not only have a few more A Series in Summation reviews (which I think are convenient because it allows me to share my thoughts of the entire series cohesively and also because my reviews for the entire series are all in one post), and at the same time will ensure the reviews are current and detailed reviews.

So, there's my behind the scenes on A Series in Summation. Very rarely, I have read series back to back, but I'm trying to keep with this new system if I want to write A Series in Summation reviews for it. Other times, I have so much to say I end up reviewing each novel independently, but honestly I like writing A Series in Summation because it gives me a chance to not only reflect on the novel, but on the series as a whole.

I hope you all enjoyed reading a bit more about my blogging, and if you'd like to see another "Behind the Scenes" post, let me know. I'll be back soon with another post next week!

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

"Thoughts" is an opportunity for me to write down my thoughts on a couple novels that I didn't finish recently. I didn't want to write whole reviews because I hadn't gotten the full perspective of the novel if that makes sense- although I read most of the novel, sometimes it just doesn't appeal to me personally. However, I still want to briefly share my thoughts, and share why I think this book might appeal more to others and why it personally didn't work for me. This is not a reflection of the books themselves, as oftentimes I definitely enjoyed and loved some aspects of the novel, but wanted to share my thoughts.

I mentioned starting a series like this a few weeks ago with a discussion post , and today I'm here with the first post on this. Today we're talking about two novels that I didn't finish reading recently - Defy by Sara B. Larson and Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley.

Defy
Where I read to: page 277 of 323 (about 86%)
My thoughts:
Defy is a novel that my friend recommended to me as she really enjoyed it. I'd been looking forward to reading it since before it had even been published, but after hearing some mixed reviews, I decided to wait awhile to pick it up and see what I thought.
To begin, Defy is an interesting novel. I think the protagonist, Alexa, is a good narrator and a lot is going on in the novel. In the beginning, I found that the story grabbed my attention right away, and there was mystery and intrigue. I really enjoyed most of the novel, but by the time I got pretty close to the end, I just wasn't as invested in the story. I think it's still a good novel, but I knew a friend who would enjoy it more than me and so I passed it along to her.

Magonia
Where I read to: 206 of 309 (about 67%)
My thoughts:
This is another novel I was reading along and really enjoying in the beginning. Aza has a really unique voice. I definitely thought she was a good narrator and her family and Jason were really great as well. However, when Magonia came into the story, I didn't enjoy the world building as much. It was definitely unique and with fantastical elements, but I didn't love it as much. The characters of Magonia as well were ones I didn't enjoy reading about as much, and so, although I definitely enjoyed what I'd read and thought it was an interesting and well written novel, I ended up deciding to pass it along to a friend as well.

So, here are my thoughts on two novels that I picked up recently. While they didn't work for me, I thought they were still great books and so I gave them to a friend who I thought would end up reading them and enjoying them as well. I'll be back soon with another post!

Monday, June 8, 2015

May was a great month. It was certainly very busy, as I've been trying to focus more on organization and time management in order to be as productive as I can and still maintain a good balance of relaxing and taking the time to read and spend time with loved ones. So, let's talk about May!

I ended up having more time to read this month, which was great. I've linked the reviews for the books I've read if I have a review already posted, but if I've yet to review the novel and you would like to hear my thoughts, feel free to let me know in the comments!

I decided to share my thoughts on how I write discussions and discussion post ideas, etc. I enjoyed talking about how I write different types of posts, so I think I'd like to do another one of these posts.

This was the second novel by Kody Keplinger I've read this year, and I really enjoyed it. It's a story with incredible characters and character development, and I think it was really well written. You can check out my review for my full thoughts.

I ended up reviewing the entire Princesses of Westfalin trilogy after reading the third and final book recently.

My Life:

I've been trying to be more and more organized. I really enjoy trying to make a schedule, although I definitely try to keep a balance between overscheduling and working. I've been following a few life and organization blogs recently that I've gotten some great tips from! In addition, I've been able to visit some family which is always nice. In the midst of a crazy schedule, taking the time to see them is always a great time.

Posts I've Loved:

I've decided to keep going with the system of creating a collection on Bloglovin' of my favorite posts for each month. You can check out my Bloglovin' for my saved posts.

Here's my Looking Back post for May 2015. If you'd like, feel free to share your reads and such in the comments down below. I'll be back soon with another post!

Friday, June 5, 2015

History has a way of repeating itself. In the Sunken City that was once Paris, all who oppose the new revolution are being put to the blade. Except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent or a criminal?

Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy’s arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she.

As the Red Rook grows bolder and the stakes grow higher, Sophia and René find themselves locked in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse.

Today's review is on a novel that I read recently. Rook by Sharon Cameron is a novel I had on my list of Most Anticipated New Releases for March and April 2015. I was curious to read this after reading the synopsis. I went into the novel having a vague idea of what it was about after reading the synopsis. I was curious as to what sort of world this would be since it's set in a futuristic setting and kind of reminded me of The Scarlet Pimpernel with the masked hero saving the victims of the Revolution, although I haven't read the classic and as far as I know this isn't a retelling. I really enjoyed Rook, and ended up giving the novel 4 out of 5 stars.

To begin, I really enjoyed the novel's characters and how they were each memorable and quirky in their own ways. Sophia is a great protagonist. She's tough, witty, and resourceful. René is a really interesting character, and I think his character development is really well done throughout the novel. The supporting characters as well are unique in that they have a lot of different qualities to them. Sophia's brother Tom is an awesome character, for example. Even some characters that didn't appear as much in the novel still had flaws and unique aspects that made them memorable characters. I thought it was interesting that there was a rotating perspective in the sense of who the novel focused on, and really added to the story.

The one aspect I didn't enjoy as much was the world building. The story was set in a futuristic society that was experiencing a tumultuous and violent time, with a lot of executions and trials. This is where the Red Rook came in, and I think that this aspect of the story was the most confusing, especially where it tied in with the character LeBlanc and his character development. I think that these aspects were interesting but the world building was a little random in including the futuristic elements, although it still definitely created a unique world.

Overall, Rook was a really unique novel with great characters and an interesting story. While I wasn't the biggest fan of the world building, but I think it was still really interesting. I gave this 4 stars out of 5.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Let's talk today about reviewing DNF books, or books you didn't finish reading. To be honest, most of the time I don't DNF a book. I'll keep reading on, even if the book isn't something that personally appeals to me. It's probably a book I enjoy some aspects of, because something about the book drew me to pick it up and start reading, but sometimes as I read on it's just not the right fit for my mood or some other reason. Most of the time in the past I didn't know what to do about this.

However, lately I've had several books that I ended up not finishing. I didn't know what to do about it. They were books my friends had recommended to me, that I had been really looking forward to reading. I didn't want to push through them because I definitely enjoyed them, but as the book went on it just wasn't the right read for me. Does that make sense? I don't DNF a book because I think it's a terrible book, but because it wasn't the right book for my mood or what I enjoy in a book or for whatever reason.

Reviewing a book that I didn't finish sounds like something I'd really hesitate to do. I don't ever want to seem like I'm hating a book or going on about negative things about a book. Also, since I didn't finish the book, I didn't want to call it a review because I hadn't yet read the entire book.

This led to my idea of coming up with a way to share my thoughts on the books I DNF without calling it a review. I'm tentatively calling it "Thoughts" for lack of a better name. Here's the description of the series that I've written: "'Thoughts' is an opportunity for me to write down my thoughts on a couple novels that I DNF recently. I didn't want to write whole reviews because I hadn't gotten the full perspective of the novel if that makes sense- although I read most of the novel, sometimes it just doesn't appeal to me personally. However, I still want to briefly share my thoughts, and share why I think this book might appeal more to others and why it personally didn't work for me. This is not a reflection of the books themselves, as oftentimes I definitely enjoyed and loved some aspects of the novel, but wanted to share my thoughts."

So, what are your thoughts? I'm definitely curious to know what others think about sharing your thoughts on DNF reviews. If you all are interested in hearing my first "Thoughts" post, let me know!

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, with each week having a different theme to discuss! Today, we're talking about tv and movie adaptations we'd like to see for some books. I made a list giving 5 for each, and I would love to know your Top Ten picks for this week as well! Without further ado, here's my Top Ten picks of tv shows and movies I would love to see some books adapted into!TV Shows

I was rather disappointed in this book. I ended up giving it 2.5 stars, and it was lacking for me in several aspects. Firstly, all of the characters in this book are really under developed, and terrible characters. No one is likeable in ...